A Moon in the Past
by yasha012
Summary: Kagome keeps having visions of the past in the form of dreams. Sesshomaru's past, to be precise. What happens when his past comes back to haunt him and she and her friends get caught in the middle of it all? SessKag
1. Dreams

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own or claim any of the characters used in this story. Inuyasha belongs solely to Rumiko Takahashi.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: I took some things from my fic Destiny. Also, Sesshomaru doesn't have ANY of his markings, the yellow sash, or the fur thing. He only carries Bakusaiga and has both his arms. His claws are retractable, so they look like regular nails when he's not using his claws. Inuyasha and the gang have only met him once. Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un don't exist. The long italicized parts are dreams. He has no interest in Tetsusaiga. **

_Under the light of the full moon, a child was born. A small boy with silver hair. His hair was fairly short, but was long enough to touch his closed eyes. The boy did not cry. He didn't make any sound. He simply slept, as silent as the night itself. His mother held him, wrapped in white cloth, as she spoke. Though she appeared to hold him gently, he could feel the tightness in her grip._

_"What will you name him?" She asked, her voice deceivingly sweet as she mentioned their child._

_Silence answered her. With his eyes closed, he saw nothing. And yet, at the same time, he saw everything._

_"Sesshomaru."_

_A new voice had spoken, breaking the silence. His father watched him, his eyes dull and tired. He'd just come back, and already he had to leave again. He said a short farewell to his wife and, with one final glance at their son, swiftly left, returning to the war many miles away. Once she was sure he was gone, the queen dropped her gentle facade. She looked down indifferently at the child in her arms and walked over to the very edge of her floating castle _**(A/N The one his mother is shown at in the anime and manga)**_. Her gaze shifted, and she found herself looking down at the clouds far below. __Suddenly, her eyes flashed, filled to the brim with hate. Without a word, she lifted him up. She knew what she wanted. She knew she would face dire consequences for what she was about to do. But, even despite that, she didn't care. Her husband would likely kill her. She didn't care. He, along with the rest of the world, would thank her later. And, with those thoughts in her mind, she lifted him up, and threw him over the edge._

_He was falling. He could feel it. He didn't open his eyes. He didn't look. But he knew it was true. He was falling, and he had no way to stop it. He hadn't developed any abilities yet, and therefore could not fly. He was far too young, having been in the world for such a short time._

_She was trying to kill him. That much was clear. His mother had discarded him, disowned him. He knew this. Even as an infant, he was intelligent. Far more intelligent than any sane person would be willing to believe. But, despite how impossible and unnatural it was, it was true. He was a freak. A monster. A disgrace. His mother thought these among other things about him. Had he actually had emotions at the time, he might have been hurt. Wounded to the depths of his soul. But he wasn't, for he had yet to develop emotions of any kind. Surely he would later, but not now. Not yet._

_Suddenly, he stopped falling. He hit something and, whatever it was, let out a horrible squall. It was thrust downward by the force of him hitting it, but quickly stopped its fall. It flapped its leathery black wings and returned to its flight, seemingly unaware of its small passenger. Even if it was aware, it didn't appear to care. And if it did, it did nothing about it. It simply continued to fly, soaring ever northward. It flew for hours, and not once did Sesshomaru move. He simply remained still where he was. For a while, nothing changed. The creature simply continued to fly. Several more hours passed, and suddenly, the temperature dropped dramatically. The creature shivered, but Sesshomaru did not react. Unlike that creature, unlike any normal being, he didn't feel cold. He wasn't affected by any temperature. Therefore, he couldn't feel cold. It wasn't possible. Not for him._

_The creature continued to fly, and the temperature continued to fall. Half an hour passed, an hour. Nothing else happened. Not at first. But as more time passed, the creature's shivers grew more noticeable. More time passed, and still the beast continued to shiver. It struggled to remain in flight, but as the temperature continued to drop, it began to freeze. It flapped its near frozen wings in a desperate attempt to remain in the air. But it was all in vain. __He was falling again. Falling and falling, farther and farther. Surely the ground would meet him soon. But it did not happen. Instead, he continued to fall, never once encountering anything. There were no more creatures to catch him. No more arms to hold him. And, for now, there was no ground to end his life._

Kagome woke up gasping. Her heart was racing widely. It felt like she'd been falling…

'_It was just a dream…'_ She told herself as she took a deep, calming breath.

She looked up at the night sky, losing herself in thought.

'_I don't understand. What was that dream about? Who were those people? Why did that woman throw her baby away like that? And did the baby survive?'_

She took another deep breath and forced herself to relax.

'_It was just a dream.'_ She reminded herself. _'None of it was real.'_

Just then, Sango woke up.

"Kagome? Why are you awake?" She asked tiredly. "Is something wrong?"

Kagome smiled and shook her head.

"No. I just had a dream, that's all." She replied. "Go back to sleep."

Sango nodded sleepily and laid her head back down. She was asleep again within moments. With a sigh, Kagome laid back down as well and tried to go back to sleep. When morning finally came, Kagome made breakfast for everyone. Once they were all done eating, they packed up their things and set out. They were headed after a man who'd been killing thousands of demons and humans alike. They'd only seen him once, but Inuyasha had memorized his scent.

"I don't get it. Why is he doing this?" Sango asked when they stopped in another bloody battlefield.

"I don't know…" Kagome said quietly.

"He seems to be searching for something." Miroku commented.

"Or _someone._" Inuyasha said.

"But who or what is he searching for?" Sango asked.

"Can't we think about this someplace else?" Shippo asked. "This place reeks."

"Whatever. Let's go." Inuyasha said.

He picked Kagome up again while the others boarded Kirara. Once they were on, everyone took off. After a while, Kagome began to space out. Without any warning, another dream came.

_There were no more creatures to catch him. No more arms to hold him. And, for now, there was no ground to end his life._

_He was still falling, farther and farther, and closer to death he came. It was certain. He would die on this day… But, then again, maybe not. Chance was a funny thing sometimes. Today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. There was no telling when his time would come._

_Almost as if some silent prayer had been answered, he stopped. He stopped falling. But he didn't hit the ground. Instead, the cloth he was wrapped in caught on something. A branch on one of the great trees in the frozen forest he was now in. The branch swayed and many flakes of snow fell free. After that, the forest was still once more. There was no more life, save for the great frozen trees and the dying creature which had carried him here. No, there__was__other life. It simply remained hidden, undetected._

_Chance. Chance had played a key role in his survival. It was through chance that his mother simply decided to discard him rather than kill him on the spot. It was through chance that he'd landed on that beast which had carried him. And it was through chance that he had been caught in the tree and hadn't landed on the ground, thus ending his short life. But now, chance was not so kind. Though he was safe, now he was hungry, and there wasn't anyone to feed him…_

_A cold, bitter wind blew and the branch swayed slightly. No snow fell free, though it threatened to as the branch continued to sway. The wind died down and once again, all was still. All was quiet. Sesshomaru was hungry. Somewhere inside something was screaming at him to eat. He had to eat. But in order to eat, he needed food. And in order to get food, he needed someone there to provide it. There was no one. He was all alone… This was the first of many suffering to come. So many more things would follow. His short-lived peace was over._

_He was starving. He'd merely been hungry before, but now he was starving. This was his first great suffering. The pain of hunger was the only pain he had experienced as of yet, and yet, somehow, he knew that there was greater pain in the world. He'd been without food for two days now, and the hunger pains were increasing. Another day passed and he was still without food._

_One day, the hunger just stopped. He no longer needed to eat. It didn't make any sense, but there was no point in questioning it. In a way, it was a good thing. Not needing to eat could come in handy._

"EARTH TO KAGOME!" Someone shouted.

"Huh?" Kagome said as she returned to reality.

Inuyasha and the others were all looking at her and she grew confused.

"What?" She asked.

"You were off in space." Sango replied. "You had a weird expression on your face."

"You okay?" Shippo asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said waving her hand as she sweat dropped nervously.

'_Crap! I've been dreaming again!'_

"Anyway, I asked you if you 'textbook' has anything on _this_ place." Inuyasha said.

"Textbook? Oh, my geography book!" She exclaimed. "Hang on a second, let me check."

Inuyasha let her off and she opened her backpack. Ashe rummaged around in it for a moment before pulling put a book. Suddenly, it occurred to her that she had no idea where they were.

"Umm… What is this place exactly?" She asked.

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Sango said.

"Your book doesn't tell you?" Shippo asked.

"The thing is, I have to know what the place is _called_ in order to find any information on it." Kagome explained.

"Well that's just great." Inuyasha muttered.

Kagome looked around curiously. Her eyes widened.

_'A frozen forest… Like the one in my dreams…'_

"It's freezing here." Shippo said.

"Yeah, it really is." Kagome agreed. "Just how far north _are_ we?"

"Farther than we've ever gone before." Sango said.

Kagome quickly pulled her jacket out of her backpack and put it on. As soon as she was done, they began to search for a shelter for the night. They found a large cave and set up camp. Once they had a fire going, Kagome made dinner. After dinner, everyone went to bed. They had another long day of traveling ahead of them.


	2. Lost the Trail

_"My lady, the lord returns."_

_"What?"_

_The woman from Kagome's first dream was sitting on her husband's throne at the castle. She'd been fantasizing about what it would be like if Toga no longer existed. If he died like Sesshomaru. That was when one of her guards had appeared with that dreadful news. She had yet to come up with an explanation for Sesshomaru's absence, and she didn't want to deal with her husband until she had. If she didn't play this exactly right, she would be the one who died._

_"Where is he?"_

_"He's currently passing through the Eastern Lands. He'll be here in a matter of days. A week, at most."_

_'Shit…'_

_"Taro, bring me 'him.'"_

_"But m'lady-"_

_"Do it!"_

_"Yes ma'am!"_

_After that, Taro ran off inside to fetch one of her most fearsome warriors. An assassin without a name, known simply as "him' by most._

_'If this isn't done perfectly, it'll all be over. I have to be careful.'_

Kagome rolled over and mumbled in her sleep, causing Inuyasha to look at her. Was she dreaming again? She'd been dreaming a lot lately. She'd even been spacing out during her waking hours. He shrugged, not really caring. With a slight yawn, he laud down and dozed off. Meanwhile, Kagome continued to dream.

_"If he's alive, I want you to find him and bring him back. And if he's dead… I want the body."_

Kagome jolted awake with a gasp. She looked around panting for a moment before slowly relaxing. She sighed softly, realizing that she'd been dreaming again.

_'I don't understand… Why do I keep having these dreams? They won't go away. And they seem so real…'_

She looked up at the sky and sighed again.

_'I can't believe it's morning already. Guess I should get breakfast going.'_

Almost as soon as she started cooking, Inuyasha woke up. He sat up and sniffed the air, his eyes wide and drool dripping out of the side of his mouth.

"Kagome, is that…?" He asked hopefully.

She smiled and nodded.

"Yup. But you don't get any until everyone else is awake." She replied.

"AWW!" He exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, but that's the way it is." She said. "And don't you dare wake them up yet."

"Hmph."

He pouted and sat down, his arms folded over his chest. About ten minutes later, breakfast was done and Kagome woke everyone up.

"Finally!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "FOOD!"

"Not yet!" Kagome said as she blocked him from getting to the food.

"What? Why not?!" He demanded.

"Let everyone else have some first." Kagome said.

"Why?" Inuyasha asked.

"Because otherwise you'll eat it all before we can get any." Kagome explained.

"That only happened once!" Inuyasha shouted.

"Twice, actually." Miroku corrected.

"Yeah, I'd like to actually eat." Sango said.

"Yeah!" Shippo agreed.

"Fine, whatever." Inuyasha said before sitting down and pouting.

Everyone quickly served themselves and Inuyasha took everything that was left over. Once they had all eaten, they packed everything up and set off again. Just like the day before, Kagome began to space out after a while.

_A boy quickly rounded the corner and kept running. He was moving so fast that Kagome couldn't see him clearly. He dodged another attack and jumped down the short ledge he suddenly found himself at._

_"Get back here, runt!" _

_Without stopping to listen, he simply focused himself on landing on his feet. He managed to land on his feet for a moment, but before he even had a chance to blink he's slipped and fallen face-first into the snow. He gasped slightly and scrambled to his feet. He barely managed to get out of the way before his enemy stabbed his spear into the ground where he'd just been. Ignoring the instinct that said to run, he turned around and faced his enemy. His hair was hair was long and black, and was tied up at the end. His eyes were dark and menacing, and his mouth was twisted into an evil grin. _**(A/N like Neji Hyuuga's hair from Naruto. Basically, he looks like the First Hokage in Naruto, just without the headband.)**_ Sesshomaru didn't know why he'd turned around. He couldn't fight that guy. He was too young to fight anything, really. He didn't have any training, and he didn't have much strength. The only thing that had kept him alive in this so-called "fight" was his amazing speed and his incredible intellect. While he was well aware and in control of his speed, he wasn't yet conscious of his mental ability. He unconsciously came up with a multitude of elaborate escape plans, things to throw his enemy off his trail. But his conscious mind didn't quite yet register these things, so all he could do was follow his instincts. And he did. Finally obeying the instinct telling him to run, he turned and dashed off into the trees before his enemy even had a chance to free his spear from the earth._

_"Damn it!"_

_The kid was fast. He had to give him credit for that. But it didn't matter. He had a job to do, and he'd do it without fail._

Kagome's eyes widened as she came back to reality.

_'Sesshomaru…'_

She closed her eyes, trying to think.

_'Sesshomaru… But that doesn't make any sense… These are dreams. They're not real. They can't be. So why…?'_

She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, now trying to see if another dream would come. Maybe she could make sense of everything if she just got another dream… But sadly, nothing came. Not one single dream. At least, not at first. When one finally came, it barely lasted a moment.

_It was all over. He'd been caught. He'd been captured and there was nothing he could do about it._

She didn't see how it happened. All she saw was him falling over the edge of a cliff and losing consciousness when he hit the ground before getting carelessly tossed into a cage by the man. Before she even had a chance to see anything more, she was pulled back into reality by Inuyasha's voice.

"He's close!" He shouted as he picked up speed.

"Who?" Kagome asked, confused.

"That guy we've been after this whole time, duh!"

_'Oh yeah… That guy…'_

She thought for a moment, her eyes slowly widening.

_'He looked like the man from my dream… Just with different clothes.'_

She shook her head.

_'Impossible. They're just dreams. That's all they are. Dreams.'_

Suddenly, Inuyasha came skidding to a halt.

"Damn it!" He said angrily.

"Inuyasha, what happened?" Kagome asked.

"He disappeared again!" Inuyasha replied.

"What? How?" She asked in shock.

"I don't know!" Inuyasha said.

"That's twice now…" Sango said.

"Every time we get close to him he just vanishes!" Inuyasha yelled in anger.

"Inuyasha, calm down." Miroku said. "We'll catch him eventually."

"Miroku's right." Kagome said. "Getting angry isn't going to change anything."

"Keh!" Inuyasha replied.

With a sigh, Kagome suggested that they find a shelter for the night. It took a while to find a safe place to rest. Once they found a place, Kagome made a slightly early dinner and everyone ate and talked for a while before going to bed. Kagome laid down and closed her eyes. Immediately the dream world returned to her.

_Within the darkness, he could see nothing. Everything faded away the moment the door closed. But he knew one thing with certainty. He was all alone. Locked away in the darkness, forgotten about. That is, until his mother grew angry again. Whenever she was even remotely upset about anything, her servant came down into the dungeon and beat him. The same exact servant who'd captured him and dragged him back here. He never left this place. He wanted to, but he knew he couldn't get out. He wasn't strong enough… The only time he'd ever been let out of that place was when his father came back. That rarely happened. Whenever he asked about his son's wounds, his mother claimed that he'd recklessly challenged older, stronger boys to fights and lost. That was her favorite story. She made up other things as well. He didn't know exactly what she said though. All he knew was that his father never showed any compassion toward him. His father didn't show animosity toward him as his mother did, but the look in his eyes said everything. His eyes showed complete indifference._

_His father didn't care._

_That hurt. His father didn't hate him, but in truth, he didn't need to. All he needed to do was not love him. That was all it took to hurt him. What was worse, one day, his father stopped coming. He later found out why. He was sitting in the darkness of the dungeon late one night listening to the two male voices outside the door somewhere. He didn't know who they were, nor did he care. It was their conversation that he was interested in. Not because he was gaining any useful information from it, but simply because listening to them was better than sitting around doing nothing. Finally, he grew bored of listening to them and began to tune them out. But before he could, he heard one of them mention his father. Once again, he began to listen to them._

_"Is Lord Toga still fighting?" Asked one voice._

_"Yes. The Panther Devas are formidable opponents. He is the only one who has any chance of beating them." Replied the other._

_"I agree. Though I'm sure if his son was older…"_

_The second voice quickly silenced the first._

_"Shut up!" The voice hissed angrily. "You know we're not supposed to talk about him!"_

_"Right. Sorry."_

_"Just don't do it when the Queen is around, or she'll beat him more. He doesn't need any more punishment."_

_"Right."_

_Sesshomaru had stopped listening by this point. As soon as the second voice had silenced the first he'd tuned them both out. He really didn't want to hear them argue… After tuning them out, he slowly laid down and tried to get some sleep. He knew what was coming tomorrow. And if not tomorrow, then soon. His mother was upset that his father was never around, never spending time with her. And he got beat for it. All the time. He lifted his head up and looked in the direction of the door. He'd decided a long time ago. He was running away. The next time they let him out… He'd be gone._

_That day never came._

_His mother watched him like a hawk the few times he was let out, and he was never able to escape. If he tried to while she was watching..._

_He didn't even want to think about it._

_Too horrible. Just too, too horrible. His father had just left again about a week ago, and his mother was not happy. She and his father had another huge fight. They'd been fighting the whole week he was there. It was the biggest fight he'd ever seen them have, and he knew exactly what that meant._

_He would get punished._

_And he did. She'd been having her servant beat him all week long. He wasn't sure he could last much longer... He didn't know why, but for whatever reason, he'd been left alone all day today. That was bad news. He was sure of it. Sure enough, about an hour or so later, her servant came in with murderous intent in his eyes._

_The next few hours were hell._

_It was the worst beating he'd even received. It ended with her servant slamming his head into the ground. He did it so many times he lost count. Before it was even over, he blacked out. When the job was done, the servant went back outside and walked over to the lord's throne where the queen was sitting. He was covered in the child's blood, and he considered it a prize. He walked over to the queen and bowed in front of her._

_"He has received his punishment, m'lady."_

_"Good."_

_"Is there anything else I may do for you?"_

_"Get rid of him."_

_He looked up in surprise._

_"What?"_

_"You heard me."_

_He bowed again._

_"Yes m'lady. It will be done."_

_After that, he went back to the dungeon to complete his newest task. He opened the door and picked the boy up by the back of his collar. The boy didn't even move. He was still unconscious. Hell, he may have even been dead for all he knew._

_Not that he cared._

_He walked back outside again and flew off in the direction of the great snowy forest where he'd captured the child before. That forest was one of the most dangerous places in all of Japan. He was sure the boy would die there. And even if he didn't, the chances of him ever finding his way out of there were slim. Once he was over the forest, he let go of the child and watched him fall._


	3. Dangerous

_"You insolent whelp!" His mother yelled furiously._

_She slapped him across the face and he was spun around by the sheer force of the blow._

_"How dare you say anything to him!"_

_"I didn't! It wasn't me!" He cried, he hand on his already bruising cheek._

_"Like hell it wasn't you!" She hissed._

_She slapped him again, causing him to cry harder._

_"Shut the hell up!" She yelled, raising her hand again threateningly._

_He struggled to fight back the tears, but he just couldn't._

_"What did you tell him?" She asked angrily. "Well?!"_

_"I didn't tell him anything!" He said again, still struggling not to cry._

_"Stop lying to me!" She growled._

_"I'm not lying!" He protested._

_"You fucking brat!" She yelled._

_She garbed his wrist tightly in her hand, squeezing so hard that he cried out in pain as a bone snapped. She dragged him down to the dungeon and literally threw him in._

_"You'll receive your punishment later. In the meantime, you can rot!"_

_With that, she left, leaving a scared little kid sitting alone in the darkness._

Sesshomaru jolted awake, slightly startled. He'd heard something… but what? He listened hard, trying to figure out what he'd heard. After several minutes of hearing nothing but wind, he slowly relaxed. He didn't completely drop his guard, however. He knew better than to do that. To drop ones guard entirely was foolish.

_'I'd practically be asking for death.'_ He thought.

Slowly, he allowed himself to lie back down on the large branch of the tree he'd been sleeping in. He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wander off. He had nothing better to do anyway. A few minutes later, he was once again startled by a noise. He sat up again, once again listening intently. The sound was about a mile away, and getting closer. It took a moment for him to realize exactly what he was hearing. Or rather, _who._

"Damn it! I thought we had him that time!"

_'Inuyasha.'_ Sesshomaru thought. _'What is he doing this far north?'_

"I thought so too. Maybe we went the wrong way."

Sesshomaru thought for a moment. He knew he recognized the voice, but he couldn't place a name to it. After a moment, it clicked.

_'Kagome… The human girl with the strange clothes... The whole group must be here…'_

He immediately grew wary. He'd only met Inuyasha and his group once, and it had ended in disaster for him. At the time, he'd had no idea who they were, and he'd had no intention of fighting with any of them. He'd simply wanted to pass through the area. He still didn't know why Inuyasha had attacked him. Sesshomaru also didn't know why he'd held back so much. Inuyasha wasn't weak. So why? Why did he hold back? So long as he didn't go all out, he was sure Inuyasha would've been fine.

He'd been in awful condition after the fight. He'd spent nearly two weeks recovering. So what reason did he have to trust them? None whatsoever.

After a few minutes, the group came into view. He silently moved into a cluster of leaves thick enough to hide a large animal. So long as he wasn't seen, he could remain hidden. After all, he had no scent. A rather large advantage, really, but he hardly cared. As long as he survived, next to nothing mattered. Survival was always the goal, always the main purpose of everything he did. …Most of the time, that is.

He watched as Inuyasha and his group approached the tree. They were still talking.

"What are we going to do, guys?" Kagome asked. "At this rate, we'll never catch him."

_'Catch who?' _Sesshomaru wondered. _'Next to_ _nothing__ lives in this part of the forest…'_

He listened as they continued to talk.

"It doesn't help that we're lost…" The demon slayer said.

"We're not lost." Inuyasha said angrily.

"Oh yeah? Then where are we?" The young fox demon demanded.

"Uh…" Inuyasha hesitated.

"You big knucklehead!" The kit exclaimed as he jumped in the air and whacked Inuyasha's head with his fist.

"You brat!" Inuyasha yelled. "Get back here!"

The kit quickly jumped back into Kagome's arms.

"Waah! Kagome help!" He wailed.

"Inuyasha SIT!"

The necklace around Inuyasha's neck glowed and he quickly become acquainted with the snowy ground. He sat up and glared at Kagome.

"What was that for?!" He demanded angrily.

"Don't hurt Shippo!" She said, holding the kit close to her protectively.

"He fucking started it!"

"Don't swear in front of kids!"

"I say whatever the hell I want!"

"Sit!"

"Waugh!"

The monk (who'd been watching the whole time) stepped in.

"Don't fight you two. It's not helping anyone." He said. "If anything, it's likely attracting much unwanted attention to us."

"What do you mean?" The demon slayer asked.

"We have no idea what kind of beings live here." The monk explained. "But it's obvious that they're powerful enough to hide their scents and auras. Ordinary beings can't do that."

"He's right. We haven't detected a single life form since we got here." Kagome said.

"So what? How do we know that they're hiding?" Inuyasha asked. "How do we know their even _here_?"

_'Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're not here.'_ Sesshomaru thought.

He knew better than to think that the forest we empty. There were many creatures that lived there, many of which couldn't be found anywhere else in the world. This forest was the home to some of the most powerful beings in all of Japan, even the world. It was far from safe here.

"So what do we do?" The slayer asked.

"We keep searching." The monk said. "But we must be careful. Even if Inuyasha's right and there's nothing here, it's better to be safe than sorry."

"I agree." Kagome said. "Come on guys, let's backtrack and see if we can find our way out of here."

Inuyasha pulled himself out of his crater and everyone began to walk. Only when they were out of sight did Sesshomaru finally jump down from the tree. He immediately began walking in the opposite direction.

He didn't get very far.

"SESSHOMARU!" Inuyasha yelled at the top of his lungs, his sword held high over his head to attack.

Sesshomaru quickly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding getting his head lopped off.

"What the hell are you doing here you bastard?!" Inuyasha demanded furiously.

"I happen to _live_ here. Not that it's your business." Sesshomaru replied. "And what, may I ask, are _you_ doing here? If I don't recall, your territory lies in the East."

"That's none of your fucking business!" Inuyasha yelled as he began to attack again.

Before he could take more than two steps, Kagome stopped him.

"Inuyasha SIT!" She yelled. "You will NOT start this again!"

"Me?! He started it!" Inuyasha yelled back.

"I saw everything that happened! You attacked the second you saw him, just like last time!"

"I did not!"

"You did too!"

"No!"

"Stop lying!"

"Why are you protecting him?!"

"Because he didn't do anything!"

There voices got louder and louder, and Sesshomaru winced at nearly every word they said. Finally, the monk stepped in and stopped their argument. Shortly thereafter, everyone's attention was once more on him. Inuyasha's eyes shone with hostility, and he growled quietly. Much to Sesshomaru's relief, he didn't try to attack again. He simply stayed put, clearly not wanting to get sat again. Kagome was the first to speak.

"Why are you here Sesshomaru?" She asked.

"As I said before, I _live_ here." He replied calmly, his gaze sliding from Inuyasha to her. "Why are _you_ here?"

"We were chasing after someone, but they disappeared and we ended up lost." She replied. "I'm not entirely sure how we ended up here."

"You should leave." He said.

"Why?" She asked, giving him a confused look.

"It isn't safe. The creatures here are far too powerful for even him to handle." He said, referring to the angry half demon.

"I ain't weak, you bastard!" Inuyasha yelled.

"I never said you were." Sesshomaru replied. "I simply stated that the creatures here are stronger than you can handle at your current level of strength."

"Fuck you! I can kill them easily!" Inuyasha snarled.

"Maybe someday, but not now." Sesshomaru said.

Sesshomaru looked at Kagome again.

"You should leave." He repeated.

She sighed.

"We've been trying, but like I said before, we're lost." She replied.

"The only way out is to the South. It's also the only way _in._" He explained.

"So if we head South we'll find our way out?" She asked.

He nodded.

"That's great! Thank you." She said, smiling warmly at him.

He gave a tiny nod, but didn't otherwise reply.

"Whatever! Let's just get out of here!" Inuyasha grumbled.

Before they had a chance to go anywhere, they heard a horrible shrieking sound coming from a cluster of trees nearby. Sesshomaru sighed.

"_This_ is what I meant by _'dangerous'_." He muttered.

A giant bird like creature came into view. It's red eyes locked on them. No one dared to move. Moments later, it attacked.


	4. Walk With Us?

_"_This _is what I meant by _'dangerous'_." He muttered._

_A giant bird like creature came into view. It's red eyes locked on them. No one dared to move. Moments later, it attacked._

The bird let out a terrible shriek before charging straight at them. It lashed out with its claws, and Sesshomaru barely moved out of the way in time. Blood poured out of the newly formed gash on his shoulder. He didn't even notice.

"Out of the way, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha yelled.

He charged for the creature, Tessaiga held over his head like a club. He swung down hard, and was stunned when it felt like he was hitting stone with a normal human blade. His sword bounced off the bird's feathers and he flew backward from the force. Sango and Kirara tried next. Hiraikotsu bounced off as well, knocking Sango off Kirara's back. Kirara tried using her flames, but they didn't seem to have any effect. Miroku tried using his staff and various sutras, but they all proved ineffective. Now it was Kagome's turn. She fired the strongest, purest arrow she could manage, and was shocked when it too simply bounced off. Sesshomaru let out an annoyed growl. It was barely audible, but still she heard it. He'd_warned_ them, hadn't he? But of _course_, no one listened to him. Not wasting anymore time, he grabbed Bakusaiga. In one fell swoop, he cut the bird almost completely in half. It's corpse fell lifelessly into the snow. Everyone was stunned.

_'How did he…?'_ Kagome wondered.

Sesshomaru flicked the blood off of his blade before sheathing it again. He turned to them. He no longer looked annoyed. Just calm.

"You should get out of here." He said, repeating what he'd said before.

"Whatever." Inuyasha muttered, also sheathing his sword.

Sango slowly stood up, wincing slightly at her now badly bruised ribs, and grabbed Hiraikotsu. She put it on her back once more and Kirara turned back into a kitten. Miroku put his sutras away, and Kagome sheathed her arrows and put her bow on her back. Inuyasha and the others began to walk away, but quickly stopped when Kagome spoke.

"Um… Sesshomaru?" She asked nervously.

He turned toward her again, for he had also been walking away.

"Could you maybe… go with us? South I mean." She asked.

"No fucking way!" Inuyasha yelled angrily. "We don't need that bastard following us around!"

"It's just until we can get out of here, Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled back. "We'll get killed if we're attacked again while we're alone!"

"Yeah! You saw what happened when you all tried to attack!" Shippo said.

"They do have a point." Miroku said. "We don't stand a chance against these creatures."

"Yeah…" Sango agreed.

Kagome turned back to Sesshomaru. He seemed to be thinking it over.

"So will you?" Kagome asked hopefully. "Please?"

After a moment of silence, he slowly nodded. Kagome smiled widely.

"Thank you." She breathed, relief flooding over her.

He didn't reply. Instead, he just began walking south. Everyone followed in silence. Inuyasha hesitated before slowly beginning to walk. He stayed in the far back, undoubtedly sulking. Kagome ignored him. He'd just have to get over it. She walked directly behind Sesshomaru, almost as though acting like a barrier between the two groups. They walked on for hours before night finally fell. They stopped as soon as it was dark. Kagome's group made quick work of setting up camp. Inuyasha jumped into a tree for the night, while the rest of his group settled down in sleeping bags. Sesshomaru sat on the ground leaning against a tree, his arms and legs crossed and his eyes closed. They all knew he wasn't asleep. It seemed he was going to keep watch for the night. Kagome closed her eyes and was soon asleep.

**A/N Sorry about the awful cliffhanger and shortness of this chapter. I'll try to update soon.**


	5. Apologies

_"Kym."_

_"My Lord."_

_Toga looked the room around with tired eyes. He seemed to be searching for something._

_"Where is Sesshomaru?" He asked quietly, looking her in the eyes. "He should be in bed by now."_

_She swallowed hard. This was it. Her only chance to hide what she'd done._

_"My lord... Did you not receive my message?" She asked, feigning concern._

_His eyes narrowed._

_"What message?" He asked, suddenly feeling worried._

_What had happened with his son that was so urgent that Kym of all people had sent him a message? She _never_ did things like that. Ever._

_"Sesshomaru was killed by a vicious dragon. It hurt many of our warriors and killed several others, as well as a few civilians." She lied smoothly, hoping, praying that he would fall for it._

_In reality, there had been no dragon. _She_ injured and killed those people, including Sesshomaru, though that particular murder was indirect. But even so... And all of the survivors of the "attack" were forbidden to tell the truth about the matter, for fear of their own lives. She smirked inwardly when she saw the shock, horror, and finally, the loss in his eyes. _

_He'd believed her._

_She won. _

"Are you sure we're going the right way, bastard?" Inuyasha questioned.

Sesshomaru continued to ignore him as he had been all morning and kept walking.

"Hey! I'm talkin' to you!" Inuyasha yelled, angry that he was being ignored.

"I'm well aware." Sesshomaru replied, not even bothering to look at him.

"Then why the hell won't you answer me?!" Inuyasha demanded.

Sesshomaru ignored him.

Inuyasha fumed and Kagome and the others had to resist laughing at him. He just looked so funny with his face all red like that! Suddenly, Sesshomaru stopped.

"Why did you-?" Kagome started to ask.

Sesshomaru cut her off.

"We're here." He said simply.

She peered just a little way beyond where he was standing and soon spotted the edge of the forest. Her face brightened into a smile. Inuyasha, who was already furious, became even more angry. Why was she smiling at _Sesshomaru_? Why not _him_? Just because she no longer loved him didn't mean she was allowed to love anyone else! She was _his_!

Kagome, oblivious to Inuyasha's thoughts, continued to smile at Sesshomaru.

"Thank you." She said.

He just nodded.

Everyone began to leave, but Kagome hesitated.

"Um, I'll be there in a minute, guys." She called to them after a moment.

Before anyone had a chance to argue, Sango herded them all away. It was probably important if Kagome was staying behind, and she didn't want Inuyasha bothering her anymore.

Sesshomaru blinked at her. Why was she staying behind?

"Listen, about last time... I'm sorry." She said suddenly.

He blinked again.

"It wasn't your fault." He said simply.

It was true. After all, it was Inuyasha who'd attacked him, not Kagome and the others.

"I know, but... Still." She said. "I feel responsible. Inuyasha is basically my responsibility, so... I'm sorry."

Deciding not to drag this conversation out any longer, he simply nodded. He was about to turn and walk away when he remembered the question that had been bugging him for a while.

"Who were you searching for?" He asked.

She sighed.

"We don't know who he is exactly. All we know is that he's been killing thousands and thousands of demons and humans all over Japan." She said. "One of the survivors said that she was tortured for information, though she couldn't remember what information he wanted, or if she gave it to him."

She sighed again.

"The only other thing we know is that he'd a demon and that he mostly uses a spear in combat."

His eyes narrowed suddenly.

_'That sounds like...'_

He had to force himself not to growl.

_'Not _him_ again... Damn...'_

She looked at him curiously, but said nothing.

"Well, I'd better get going." She said, smiling at him again. "See you around."

He nodded and she ran off to join her friends.

**A/N Sorry this one's so short.**


	6. Sorrows

_It was hard, back-breaking work. He hated it. He hated working like this. He hated being told what to do at all hours of the day. He hated being whipped. But most of all, he hated living in chains._

_When he'd turned thirteen (in human years) two unfamiliar men appeared in the forest. They were strong enough to overpower him, and that's exactly what they'd done. They'd kidnapped him and held him for ransom, hoping that his mother and father would give them everything to save their son. Of course, no one ever came. He knew they wouldn't._

_They spent days beating him for it, punishing him for something he couldn't control. It wasn't his fault his parents hated him. It was his burden. Nothing more._

_They kept him locked away in some dark place. He didn't know where. He had no idea how long he'd been left there, chained and bloodied, awaiting his fate. Whatever it was, he'd just hoped that they would get on with it already._

_Eventually, he learned that they were selling him, as if he were property, to a brutal demon known throughout the world for his cruelty. That wasn't the worst of it, though._

_Sesshomaru was to be one of his slaves._

"Darn it! I though for sure this book would have something!" Kagome exclaimed in frustration, earning quite a few angry glances and several shushes.

She flushed with embarrassment.

"Sorry..." She whispered, lowering her head.

When everyone looked away, she sighed softly.

_'I forgot I'm in a library. I've got to stop being so noisy...'_

It took several months, but they'd finally made it back to Kaede's village. When they did, Kagome went straight home. With some resistance, of course.

A few "sits" solved that problem.

_'Inuyasha is such a... Ugh, I don't even KNOW what he is. Obnoxious? No... That's not a strong enough word. Hm...'_

She shook her head.

_'Why am I even thinking about that jerk?!' _

Forcing herself to concentrate, she busied herself with her books. She'd been trying for hours to find information on that forest, but so far, she'd found nothing.

_'It'd be nice if I at least knew what it was called... I should've asked Sesshomaru while we were there.'_

That thought instantly made her remember the conversation she and Inuyasha had had the morning after leaving the forest. She'd been fuming about it ever since.

**FLASHBACK **

"Hey Kagome."

Kagome looked up from her cooking to see Inuyasha sitting there.

"Breakfast isn't done yet, if that's what you're going to ask." She said simply.

"I wasn't going to ask that!" He said, suddenly sounding angry.

"Shh! You'll wake the others!" She hissed.

His ears flattened defiantly, but his voice lowered.

"Why'd you stay behind with that ass hole yesterday?" He asked.

"He's not an ass hole, Inuyasha. Stop calling people names all the time." She said. "And anyway, why does it matter to you?"

"Just answer the question, Kagome!"

"I don't have to, and I don't want to."

"Yes you do!"

"No I don't, and _you_ can't make me."

"Just answer the fucking question!"

"Why does it matter to you so much?!'

By now, both of their voices were rising and the other members of their little group were starting to stir. Inuyasha's voice suddenly lowered darkly.

"I bet I know: You were making out with him, weren't you?! I bet you're planning on sneaking off sometime to see him!" He yelled accusingly.

Her eyes widened in shock.

"How could you even _think_ that?!" She demanded furiously. "We weren't doing _anything_ like that!

"Stop lying!"

"We were just _talking_!"

"About _what_?! How you were gonna sneak past _me_ in the middle of the night?! Well that ain't happening! You're _mine_ and you can't go chasing after what ever fucking male you want!"

"I am not _yours_! I'm not _anyone's _property! And no one, _especially_ not _you_, can tell me whether or not I can "chase after" guys! And I'm not chasing after him, anyway! I was _apologizing_ to him for _you_ because you've been acting like such an ass!"

His ears flattened at how loud her voice was getting. By now, the others were wide awake and watching silently. Even Sango and Miroku occasionally winced at the sheer volume of her voice.

Inuyasha opened him mouth to say something, but she cut him off.

"I'm _through_ talking with you! If you have something to say to me, _keep it to yourself_! I _refuse_ to talk to you until you get your damn attitude fixed!"

**END FLASHBACK **

She'd kept that promise so far, minus the time when she'd sat him into oblivion near the well.

Shaking her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts, she once again focused on her books. Eventually, she came to the bottom of her pile of books. She didn't have high hopes for this book for quite a few reasons.

1) Whoever had it before her had _not_ taken care of it. (Possibly _everyone_ before her.)

2) Many of the words were faded, so it seemed unlikely she'd be able to read it.

3) None of the other books had any information, so why should this one?"

4) It wasn't even a geography book.

With a sigh, she opened the book. It instantly occurred to her just how old this book was.

_'From the Feudal Era, maybe?'_

It seemed likely. Since there was no table of contents, she chose a random page and began to read, hoping to stumble upon something useful. There was a title on the page. "_Sorrows._" Shrugging she began to read.

_It was cold and dark that night. Snow covered the ground, though none was falling then. Midnight had just struck, marking the beginning of the new year. Right at that moment, the son of the Western Lord was born. _

_The lord's kingdom had been reduced to a single clan that existed far above the clouds after a war that had devastated the land. Yet another war had broken out, this one between his own kind and the fearsome tribe of bat demons to the south. _

_On the night of his son's birth however, he was not on the battlefield. He'd left his most trusted general in charge and was rushing home. He at least wanted to see his son once before he died in of the many wars he had to fight._

_And he had a perfect name... One he'd spent weeks thinking about. _

_At that same moment, The baby was being wrapped in cloth. Once he was securely wrapped in the small white blanket so that no heat could escape, he was handed to his mother._

_She looked down at the small form with disdain._

_He did not cry. _

_Her servants whispered among themselves, saying that there must be something wrong with him, that he needed to see a healer immediately._

_She ignored them. She continued to glare at the bundle in her arms. She hated him. she'd hated him from the moment she realized she was pregnant. _

_She'd never wanted a child. _

_Marriage was for gaining power and prestige, not bearing some fool's child. _

_And yet, here she was, holding a baby._

_Her baby._

_HIS baby._

_She wanted to kill him. She'd wanted to kill him from the start. She'd tried to abort the baby by having some of her stronger servants punch her in the gut and whatnot, but nothing had worked._

_They'd paid for that rather harshly._

_She hadn't wanted a baby, and yet, now she had one. __But now she was left with the problem of trying to figure out what to do with him. Should she just abandon him? Or perhaps she should just kill him? Either way, if she played her cards just right, she could always blame someone else. _

_Her train of though was interrupted when a servant spoke._

_"My lady, Lord Toga has arrived."_

_She waved the servant away and stood. Whatever she was planning would have to wait until after he left. She just hoped that it would be soon. She didn't want to waste anymore of her time holding that baby._

_When she emerged outside, he was already standing there. He turned to her, and his eyes locked on his son._

_"It's a boy." She said flatly, trying to conceal her hatred._

_She handed the bundle to him and he took it gently in his arms. He held the baby up to his chest. Suddenly, a tiny hand appeared. The baby reach up and clutched one of the smaller, thankfully dull spikes on his father's armor, causing the lord to smile for the first time in many years. It was a small smile, but even that was enough to brighten her up._

_Or at least, it WOULD have been, several centuries ago. Before they'd started drifting apart._

_After a moment, he handed the baby back to her._

_He continued to watch his son in silence for several moments before she finally spoke again._

_"What will you name him?"_

_There was silence for a moment before he replied. _

Kagome blinked. Where was the rest of it? Suddenly, something in her brain clicked and she quickly reread the passage.

_'I know this story! It's like that first dream I had, just... a bit different. My dream was from the baby's point of view, but this is from the his parents' points of view.'_

Needless to say, she was thoroughly confused.

_'But... that was just a dream. So why was it in this book?' _

Her thoughts were interrupted by a very familiar and unwelcome voice.

"Hey, Kagome!"


	7. Chance

_"Sesshomaru." _

_Sesshomaru froze at the sound of his father's voice and turned around. He wished that, whatever his father wanted, he'd make it quick. He was supposed to be heading back to the dungeon now... Any longer outside, and he'd be punished. He turned and looked at his father, unwilling to look the man in the eyes. _

_"Come here." Toga said softly, yet commandingly._

_Sesshomaru swallowed hard and approached his father, suddenly worried as to what he wanted. Toga bent down and pulled something out of his shirt. He handed it to Sesshomaru, seeming to watch him closely for his reaction. Sesshomaru's eyes widened at the object in his hands, and quickly looked up from it, meeting his father's gaze on accident. He was frozen with shock. _

_There was no indifference in his father's eyes. Not this time. _

_Toga's eyes were warm with some strange emotion that Sesshomaru was unable to name, no matter how hard he tried._

_"That flute was my father's." Toga said quietly, looking at the white wooden flute that Sesshomaru was holding. "I heard from Keira that you like music, so I'm giving it to you."_

_Sesshomaru couldn't help but hold it a bit closer to himself. His father had never given him anything before... That alone made the flute special. _

_Suddenly, Toga smiled at him. A real, genuine smile, full of warmth and that strange emotion, just like his eyes. Sesshomaru was frozen again._

_"Take good care of it, okay? And someday, I want to hear you play." _

_It was the first time anyone had ever smiled at him._

Kagome stormed out of the library, dragging a furious half demon behind her by the ear.

"You have _some_ nerve, Inuyasha!" She yelled once they were a good distance away from the building. "You have no right to demand that I return! There's nothing going on right now, so I have plenty of time to stay here!"

"Like hell!" He exclaimed. "We need to find that guy before he kills anyone else!"

"We have _no _idea where he is! Jeez, don't you ever _think_?! We can't fight someone when we have no idea where they are!"

"And we'll never find anything unless we keep searching!"

"We won't be _able_ to keep searching if we never take a break!"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak again, but she cut him off.

"I haven't even been here a _day_, Inuyasha!" She exclaimed. "I _need_ a break! Three days! That's all I'm asking!"

He growled, but, much to her surprise, relented. Though seemed no less angry.

"Fine. Three days! That's _it_! No longer!" He growled.

"Fine!"

* * *

"Do you think Kagome's killed him yet?" Sango asked.

"I hope so." Shippo replied. "He's gotten even worse than usual."

"What do you think is causing that?" Sango asked, looking to Miroku.

"Who knows?" Miroku replied. "Maybe it has something to do with that fight they had when we left the forest."

Sango shrugged.

"Maybe."

Suddenly, the well flashed with light, dashing whatever hopes they'd had about Inuyasha's death. Shippo sighed.

"A fox can dream..." He mumbled sadly.

Inuyasha stalked past them, obviously furious.

"Three days... Just three fucking days..." He muttered angrily.

They exchanged looks of confusion before getting up and following him back to the village. He walked straight through the village and headed into the woods while the others entered Kaede's home. Perhaps Kaede knew something about the mysterious man they were chasing.

After explaining everything to her, the group fell silent. Kaede thought for a moment before speaking.

"There are tales..." She began slowly. "Stories that have existed since the very beginning of this era, perhaps longer. They spoke of a man, a man who was neither human nor demon, yet had the abilities of some of the strongest demons ever to have existed. His power and evil was unrivaled. It knew no bounds, not even when a woman of royal blood somehow took charge of him."

"This woman... Who was she?" Miroku asked, for once not seeming to have any lecherous thoughts related to his opposite gender.

Kaede shook her head.

"No one knows... There is no way of knowing whether these tales are true... If anyone mentioned in them are real." She said.

"Is there more to the story?" Sango asked.

"Perhaps there was..." Kaede murmured. "If there was, I have long since forgotten it."

Sango and Miroku exchanged a look.

A man... Neither human or demon... Possessing power beyond belief...

Was that the man they were looking for?

* * *

_'Fucking Kagome... What the hell does she think she's doing?!' _

Inuyasha growled and resisted the urge to punch a nearby tree. He knew it would do nothing to calm his anger and make him feel better. He knew one thing that _would_, but...

Suddenly, he caught an unfamiliar scent. He froze, all his senses straining as he struggled to determine where his enemy was. Suddenly, he realized something. He spun around. Standing behind him was an unfamiliar man, clearly a dog demon, judging by his hair. His eyes looked like Inuyasha's own, though they were a deep platinum rather than gold. His silver hair was cropped short and shifted ever so slightly in the breeze. He wore white and blue armor that covered his entire torso, though the rest of his body had no such protection. His kimono as plain white, bearing no decoration whatsoever. In his right hand, he carried a scythe with a blade shaped like a crescent moon on the top. He appeared to be some sort of warrior, or perhaps a soldier. Another breeze blew through the trees.

"Are you Inuyasha?" The man asked, his voice soft, carried slightly by the breeze.

"What's it matter t'you?" Inuyasha challenged, ready for a fight.

The man didn't move. Instead, he spoke again.

"The Queen wishes to see you." He said.

"Queen? The hell're you talkin' about?"

There was no response. Instead, the man stepped forward. Then, without warning, he attacked.

* * *

"Kenta has found him, my lady."

"Good. He knows not to kill the half breed?"

"Of course."

"Good. How long?"

"He will be delivered shortly."

She smiled a wicked smile. Finally, a chance to finish what she'd started _so_ long ago...

And it was all due to pure, blind chance.

She couldn't wait.


	8. Helping Each Other Out

"The half breed has been captured. Kenta is on his way with the prize."

The queen smirked.

"Good." She said.

Her smirk widened until her her lethal fangs began to show.

"I can hardly wait."

She turned to her soldier, who was still kneeling on the ground beside her, his face pointed to the ground and his left arm resting on his raised left knee.

"Rise, Taka." She commanded, her smirk disappearing.

He did as he was told without hesitation, completely loyal.

"Is the brat unconscious?" She demanded.

He nodded.

"Yes, though only temporarily. He should be awake by the time they arrive." He said.

She turned away again.

"Good. See to it that every exit is guarded." She said. "We wouldn't want him to escape, no would we?"

"No, milady. Of course not." He replied. "I'll have your best soldiers on guard."

She waved him away wordlessly, hardly even noticing when he disappeared.

_'Dear half breed, I do so hope that you'll cooperate. It would be rather unfortunate for me to have to kill you too.' _

Smirking again, she turned and headed to her throne. There, she would wait for the delivery.

* * *

When Inuyasha started to regain consciosness, he had no idea where he was. His vision was blurred, making his head hurt even worse than it already was when he tried to open his eyes.

_'Ugh... My head... What happened...?'_

Slowly, everything came back to him. His eyes snapped open. Before he had a chance to say or do anything, someone spoke.

"Oh good. You're awake." Purred an unfamiliar female voice.

The woman's voice was silky and calm, though he couldn't detect any obvious emotions in it. He blinked the blurriness away from his vision and glared at the woman who's spoken. It instantly struck him that most would consider her beautiful, though her hardly cared. He only had eyes for Kagome. Ka-go-me. No one else. She was _his_, and he was determined to make sure that it _stayed_ that way.

The woman was tall, standing at least two or three inches taller than himself. Her silver her was pulled back into a long ponytail that reached her lower back, leaving only her bangs free. Between her bangs was purple crescent moon, though he noticed it was facing backwards. She also had a single stripe on each cheek and above her eyes, each the same color as her moon. Her eyes were just like his, though they seemed colder than his own (though really, he was just basing that guess off of a reflection he'd seen of himself in a puddle the last time it had rained more than three months ago). Her lips were painted purple; a darker purple than her other markings.

She wore a beautiful white and purple kimono, covered by a thick blue shall of some kind with soft white fur on the ends. It went from her shoulders down to the ground. He couldn't see her feet. Around her neck, she wore a necklace with a strange purple gem surrounded by gold. It was a necklace fit for a queen.

That's when he realized.

_'This is the queen that bastard from before was talking about!' _

Without thinking, he began to growl at her. If it weren't for the two powerful soldiers holding his arms, he would have lunged at her. But, unfortunately, he was too tired to fight them.

"Now now, just relax, Inuyasha." The woman said in the same silky tone as before.

"How do you know my name?" He demanded angrily, struggling against his captors.

They held him firmly where he was, causing him to growl again.

"That is of no importance." She replied calmly. "What's important right now is what I've brought you here for."

Before he had a chance to reply, she spoke again.

"You're still traveling with the miko girl Kagome, right?" She asked.

"What's it to you?!" He demanded.

"Rumor has it that she's falling for someone else. Someone other than _you_." She said, ignoring his question. "Did you know this?"

"You're lying! Kagome's _mine_!" He snarled.

"Is she?"

That simple question made him freeze.

_'Is she?'_

He thought back to everything that had happened recently. Her letting Koga and Hojo both flirt with her before they left on their latest quest, staying behind in the woods doing who knew what with Sesshomaru...

Was she truly his anymore?

"I know a way we can help each other." The queen said suddenly.

"Why would I help _you_?!" He demanded.

"Because by helping _me_, you'll also be helping yourself." She replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked angrily.

"By doing what I ask you to, you'll also ensure that Kagome remains yours." She explained.

He was quiet for a long moment before replying.

"I'm listening." He said simply.

She smirked, her eyes shining coldly. He didn't even notice. His thoughts were focused solely on Kagome.

"What I want it's simple." The queen said. "Kill Sesshomaru."

He froze.

"Kill Sesshomaru, and Kagome will be yours."


	9. Coming Together

**A/N I made this one extra long for whoever's actually reading this, so enjoy! Also, sorry about all the divider things in this chapter.**

"Well, this vacation was a bust." Kagome mumbled to herself as she continued to pack her things.

She turned to her desk and grabbed a few books off of it.

"These'll way me down a bit, but it'll be worth it." She said, still talking herself. "I need to ask Sesshomaru about them, anyway."

She turned and walked back over to her bed where her backpack was and carefully put the two library books inside. She'd checked out the book with the story "Sorrows" that she'd been reading when Inuyasha had showed up two days before, plus another book that had a story about a young prince who'd been locked away in a dungeon for years, much like the dream she'd had about Sesshomaru before. The only problem with the second story was that there was no direct connection to Sesshomaru. At least in the first one his name had been mentioned, but this one...

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she resumed packing.

_'Let's see here... Books, check. Deoderant, bathing supplies, and hairbrush, check. Backup Miko outfit, check. Bathing suit, towel, sunscreen, and sandals, check. Sleeping bag, check. First-aid kit, check. Let's see here, what else do I need? I guess I should probably bring a hair tie just in case. ...Maybe I should also pack an extra set of clothes and shoes, just in case. Plus some money. Money's always good.' _

When she finished packing, she closed her bag securely and picked it up.

_'Oof! Jeez! This is heavier than I thought it'd be!' _

With a grunt of effort, she exited her room and headed down the stairs. She quickly slipped her shoes on and headed outside to the part of the shrine where the well was, shouting a goodbye to her mother as she left. When she got to the well, she tried climbing up the side to jump in like she normally did, but found she was unable to with the backpack on. It was just too heavy. Getting frustrated, she took it off and dropped it over the edge, watching with satisfaction as it disappeared. Effortlessly now, she climbed over the edge to join it. The journey through the well seemed longer than normal. Much longer. She began to grow bored. Suddenly, she found herself wishing she'd kept her backpack on, after all. At least then she'd have books to read. She sighed softly to herself, her arms crossed impatiently.

_'I swear, if something doesn't _happen_ here soon, I'm to whack out.' _

The gods finally seemed to have mercy on her, and she was startled when she suddenly felt a rush of air.

_'FINALLY!' _

Just as she was preparing to land, she realized something. There was no ground for her to land on. She shrieked in terror.

* * *

Sesshomaru stopped to scent the air again. He was close. Very close. Silently, he began to run again, little more than a blur among the trees. He wasn't going full speed, of course. There was no need to, really. Besides, he didn't want to alert his target. He was certain that his target would notice if he sped up any more. Suddenly, he heard a high pitched shriek.

_'Tch!' _He thought in frustration as he felt his enemy's aura disappear.

He turned in the direction of the noise, trying to determine who or what was was screaming. Whatever it was, he was _not_ happy with it. If it weren't for that noise, his enemy wouldn't have disappeared. Growling softly to himself, he quickly headed in the direction of the noise.

* * *

_'Why do this things always happen to me?' _Kagome found herself wondering as she fell helplessly through the air from some unknown height.

She hugged herself tightly, desperate for some kind of comfort, though this offered none. She found herself wishing that she would just hit the ground already. At least then she'd stop falling.

_'Heck, since I'm wishing, I wish I could fly. Or at least, some nice, deep, safe water to land in.' _

Suddenly, the ground began to come into view. A fresh wave of terror washed over her. He fear only grew worse when she realized that there was no life saving water beneath. Nothing but forests and mountains as far as the eye could see. Overwhelmed with fear, she blacked out.

* * *

"How will Killing Sesshomaru help me keep Kagome?!" Inuyasha demanded.

"It's simple, really." The queen replied. "She's starting to fall for him, making him your competition. Eliminate the competition, and you win the girl."

"She'll hate me!" Inuyasha replied angrily.

"Not if she doesn't see you do it." She replied.

She was quiet for a moment before speaking again.

"I suppose I was wrong about you, Inuyasha. Perhaps you don't want her as badly as I thought."

She watched his reaction, pleased to see that he was starting to give in.

"Do you want her, Inuyasha?" She asked. "Because it seems as though you're willing to let her go."

"No! I'll _never_ let her go!" He snarled.

"So you _do _want her then." The queen said.

"I do! I... I do. I want her." He replied, defeated.

His voice grew firm again.

"She's _mine_. No one else can have her." He said simply. "No one."

"So you're willing to do the deed, then?" She asked, watching as his head bowed and he began to look at the ground.

He sighed heavily, unsure of what he was getting himself into, but unwilling to let Kagome go.

"Yes." He said finally. "I'll do it."

He looked up again and met her eyes.

"I'll kill Sesshomaru."

* * *

Sesshomaru raced forward, toward Kagome's strong fear-scent. She was falling fast. Though how she'd ended up so high, he had no idea. All he knew was that if she hit the ground, she'd be dead in an instant. He refused to let that happen. With a fresh burst of speed, he continued to race toward her. After a few moments, he pushed off the ground, jumping as high as he could. He caught her easily and braced himself for the landing, wincing as her miko powers attacked him. Simply touching her hurt. He felt as though he was being burned, which he figured he probably was. He gritted his teeth in an attempt to ignore the pain, trying to focus on landing so that neither of them would get hurt. Because, unfortunately, even a demon could get hurt falling from this height. Her powers flared again, probably in self-defense or something, causing him to lose his concentration as he was fiercely electrocuted. He instinctively wanted to let go of her to rid himself of the pain, but he forced himself to hold onto her. He refused to let her fall to her death. Though he didn't know why, he simply couldn't bear the thought of her dying. Then, just as her attack died down, they hit the ground. He landed hard on his right leg, causing him to fell onto his side before he was able to catch himself. He lost his grip on her and they both rolled down the small hill they were on for a short ways before gravity kicked in and they came to a stop. Ignoring his hurt leg for now, he quickly got up and went over to her. Much to his relief, though he didn't know _why_ he was relieved, she was unharmed. She had a few bruises here and there and her clothes were covered in grass stains, but otherwise she was fine. Sighing softly he picked her up again, pushing the memory of their chaotic landing aside. Though he still couldn't figure out for sure why she'd been attacking him before, she wasn't now, and that was all that mattered at the moment. Determined to find a shelter where he could lay her down before her powers flared on him again, he set off into the woods.

* * *

"Where _is_ everybody?" Shippo asked, looking around from where he was perched on Miroku's shoulder.

They were sitting under a tree near the well waiting for the others to return.

"I don't know where Kagome is. She's probably just running late. And I think Inuyasha's still sulking out in the woods somewhere." Miroku replied. "As for Sango..."

Sensing that the monk's thoughts were turning lecherous, Shippo figured it out.

"Let me guess: She's bathing, isn't she?" He asked.

Miroku nodded, a wide grin on his face.

"Well that explains the lump on your head."

Before Miroku had a chance to reply, Inuyasha appeared.

"You look a bit worse for wear, Inuyasha." Miroku commented, his eyebrows raised a bit at Inuyasha's condition. "What happened?"

"Nothin'." Inuyasha replied gruffly, clearly still angry that Kagome had stayed home. "Where's Kagome?"

"She's not back yet." Shippo replied. "We've been waiting for her here all morning."

Inuyasha growled angrily and stomped over to the well before jumping in. All was quiet for several moments until Shippo spoke.

"I bet my favorite crayon that Inuyasha gets killed." He said.

"Agreed." Miroku replied.

A moment later, Sango appeared from the direction of the hot springs, her hair still a bit damp.

"I thought I heard Inuyasha." She said. "Where is he?"

"He went to go get Kagome." Shippo replied. "Why?"

"Uh-oh." Sango said, suddenly looking worried.

"Is there a problem?" Miroku asked, frowning slightly.

"He's not going to find her there." Sango said, glancing at the well.

"Why not?" Shippo asked.

"Because Kagome's already here." Sango explained. "Sesshomaru found her."

"Really? Where?" Shippo asked.

"When did Kagome return?" Miroku asked, adding his own question.

"I don't know when." She replied. "All I know was that he heard her scream and found her and her backpack falling from the sky."

When they looked concerned, she quickly finished.

"He caught her, don't worry." She said quickly, calming them. "He found me just as I was about to head back here and handed her over."

"Is she okay?" Shippo asked, worried about his adoptive mother.

Sango nodded.

"She's fine. Unconscious, but fine. I think she just passed out from fright."

"Well, that's certainly better than the alternative." Miroku replied. "Is she still at the spring?"

"Yeah, but I had Sesshomaru watch over her until I got back so she wouldn't be left alone." She replied.

"Okay, so what do we do about Inuyasha? You know he's gonna start a fight." Shippo said.

"That's why Miroku needs to stay here and stall him until Sesshomaru leaves." Sango said, looking at the monk.

"What? Why me?" Miroku asked. "I'm no match for him either."

"No, but you can pin him down using a sutra or something." Sango pointed out.

She glared warningly at him, as if daring him to refuse. He sighed softly, giving in. With a satisfied nod, she turned and headed back into the trees with Shippo on her shoulder while Miroku settled back against the tree to await Inuyasha's return.

* * *

_'Why did I agree to this?' _Sesshomaru wondered as he sat against a tree, waiting for the demon slayer to return.

His gaze traveled over to Kagome again. He didn't know why he felt so compelled to look out for her. Ever since she'd apologized to him, he just hadn't been able to get her out of his head. She kept entering his thoughts, and he seemed powerless to stop it.

He looked away from her, trying to push his thoughts away. He shifted slightly to get more comfortable, wincing as he moved his leg. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, forcing himself to relax. He'd been in worse pain before, he reminded himself. He sighed softly and scented the air to see if slayer woman was returning. The sooner she got back, the better. After all, when she returned, he could leave and resume his search for the man he'd been chasing earlier that day. He found himself sighing again when he realized she was still quite a ways away.

_'What in the world is taking so long?' _

Before he had a chance to think of any possible explanations, Kagome began to stir. He looked over to where she was laying on the grass near him, silently waiting for her to wake up.

* * *

Kagome's eyes blinked open for a moment before closing again. She heard an awful groaning sound, and something told her that she was the one making it. Unsure if she was really alive or not, she forced her eyes to open again. Her vision was blurred at first, and she blinked a few times to try to clear it. She looked around slowly, her gaze coming to rest on Sesshomaru. Her eyes widened and she quickly sat up, looking around in confusion. He watched her silently the entire time, never saying a word.

"Sesshomaru? Where- How did I- ...What?"

He blinked, remaining silent for several moments before finally speaking.

"You were falling and I caught you." He said simply. "Your friend should be back soon."

"You mean... We're near the village?" She asked, still a bit confused.

He nodded before looking away, turning his gaze toward the afternoon sky. She sat up straighter, suddenly noticing how dirty she was. She also noticed that she had a few bruises, though they didn't really hurt much.

_'Good thing I packed that extra pair of clothes... Wait, where's my backpack?' _

She turned to Sesshomaru to ask when she suddenly noticed how he was sitting with his right leg stretched out in front of him, as if it hurt to try to bend it. She quickly got up and went over to him.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

"Fine." He replied, not even looking at her.

"No you're not. Let me see." She said.

He gave her a long look before relenting, seeming to see no point in arguing with her.

_'Unlike Inuyasha, who seems to want to find a reason to argue at all times of the day.' _She thought as bent down to examine his leg.

She decided to check for a break first, just like she always did when faced with leg injuries. Ones that weren't bleeding, at least. She gently felt his leg, checking for any signs of breakage. Almost the instant she started, she saw him wince.

"Sorry!" She said quickly, mentally berating herself for hurting him.

He said nothing, though she noticed that he'd become tense. She swallowed hard and continued what she was doing, trying to asses how bad the damage was. Finally, she removed her hands and sat back on the balls of her feet.

"Well, the bad news is that it's broken." She said. "The good news is that it isn't that serious, and since you're a demon, it should be completely healed in a few days."

He huffed softly and looked away, seeming unhappy with her diagnoses. She thought for a moment, wondering how she could help him, when an idea hit her.

"I could try to heal it with my miko powers." She suggested, hoping that would cheer him up a bit.

Instead, he seemed to grow a bit wary.

_'Why would he be wary of me trying to heal him? I-' _

Her thoughts broke off when she suddenly noticed that his hands were burnt. Parts of his sleeves were scorched, and she had a feeling his arms were burnt too. She recognized those kinds of burn instantly.

_'Burns created by me... From my powers...' _

Suddenly, she understood his wariness about her using her powers on him. But what she didn't understand was how why she'd burned him, though she had a feeling that it had probably happened when he'd caught her earlier.

_'Some of those burns look like electrical burns rather than regular ones. Kami, did I _electrocute_ him?!' _

She was amazed that she was still alive after that, though she mentally slapped herself for having such thoughts.

_'Sesshomaru doesn't kill people for no reason.' _She reminded herself. _'Not even people like Inuyasha.' _

"Please let me help you, Sesshomaru." She said pleadingly. "I don't know how or why my powers got out of control before, but I'm controlling them now. I can heal you, if you just let me help you."

He blinked, still seeming unsure. Her eyes closed tightly. She didn't know why, but she was desperate to help him. She couldn't stand to see him in pain.

* * *

Inuyasha jumped out of the well and headed outside, searching for any sign of Kagome. He didn't bother trying to catch her scent, knowing that it would be near impossible for him to detect it with so many other scents around. Instead, he went to the front door of her house and walked inside. He didn't knock, knowing that her mother didn't care if he did or didn't. He walked to the kitchen where he could smell something cooking.

"Where's Kagome?" He asked from where he now stood in the doorway.

"She left already." Her mom replied, not looking up from the vegetables that she was cutting.

"_What_?!" Inuyasha exclaimed in shock before turning and running back outside, leaving the front door wide open.

He dashed to the building with the well and dove down into it's depths.

_'Damn it Kagome! What the hell kind of game are you playing?!' _

* * *

"_Please._"

Her question was barely a whisper, and he felt like his heart was melting. He didn't understand why he felt that way, and he did his best to ignore it. Still hesitant, he glanced up into her pleading eyes. Unable to deny her any longer (though he had no idea why), he relented with a sigh. Her eyes lit up for some reason that he couldn't quite determine, and she immediately set to work. He watched as she closed her eyes in concentration before opening them again, her entire body beginning to glow a gentle pink. Her eyes were calm and warm, and for a moment, he couldn't look away. He winced slightly when she touched him at first, only to relax when the pain in his leg began to dissipate. As soon as she was done with his leg, she moved on to his burns. The burns hurt less, and he barely noticed it when she touched them. His gaze was still locked on her eyes. As soon as she was finished, he forced himself to look away. She sat back again and smiled at him. She seemed tired.

"See? I told you I could help." She said, with a slight teasing tone.

He just blinked in response. Suddenly, the slayer returned, and he couldn't help feeling a bit relieved. He was getting a bit uncomfortable staying with Kagome alone like this.

* * *

"Oh! Kagome! You're awake!" Sango exclaimed as she ran out of the trees with Shippo on her shoulder.

She tilted her head slightly, noticing how close Kagome was to Sesshomaru.

"Um, what are you doing?" She asked.

"We were just talking." Kagome lied easily, without a moment's hesitation.

Sesshomaru blinked, though he said nothing.

"About what?" Sango asked curiously.

"Nothing important." Kagome replied. "I was just being my usual chatterbox self."

"Oh. Well anyway, we should probably head back to the village now." Sango said. "Inuyasha went into the well to look for you, and he'll probably be getting back soon."

"Right."

Sango turned and started walking while Sesshomaru and Kagome got up. Kagome was about to follow Sango when an idea popped into her head. She quickly turned to Sesshomaru as he was starting to disappear into the woods, going the opposite way of Sango.

"Sesshomaru, would you like to come with us?" She asked hopefully.

He stopped and turned to her.

"I need to get going." He said simply.

She tilted her head slightly.

"Going where?"

When he didn't reply, she spoke again.

"Please?" She asked. "I have a few things I need to talk to you about."

He blinked.

"Like what?" He asked, his eyes showing slight curiosity.

"For one thing... I think we're both chasing the same enemy." She said.

That seemed to catch his attention. He looked away for a moment, frowning slightly, seeming to think it over.

"Inuyasha will be there." He pointed out a moment later.

"I'll keep him under control." She said simply.

He nodded. Pleased that he agreed, she turned and began to follow Sango with Sesshomaru on her heels.


End file.
